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Ranked as the most sustainable country in the world by the Country Sustainability Ranking, Sweden has made an example out of finding ways to be environmentally savvy in every avenue. With the firm stance that, “A sustainable and secure energy supply is best achieved by focusing on long-term energy efficiency,” Sweden has lived up to their ranking. Between 1990 and today, Sweden cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% while enjoying real economic growth of 59%. With complete sustainability in sight, Sweden has proven that, ‘Going Green,’ goes far beyond the vehicle in the parking sector. What can we learn from Sweden’s best practices?

Terminal Recycling

Which criteria do you weigh when deciding on purchasing a parking product? Price? Durability? Customer Service? While all of these factors come into play, Sweden’s parking operations managers added another important factor; recyclability.

“This isn’t always something that city managers and officials think about when choosing a parking terminal, but in recent years, the value of recyclability has received more attention,” says Andreas Jansson, Managing Director of Cale America, part of the Cale Group, a Swedish parking solutions company, “In Sweden, you don’t see mounds of landfill like you do in the U.S. It’s something that has been grabbing the attention from surrounding nations.”

According to Cale’s hardware management in Sweden, the type of machine that Sweden uses was designed to be recycled, consisting of a significant amount of material that can be recycled easily without significant processing (91%) and is therefore considered to have the “highest recyclability.” The materials that go to processing are the circuit board, cable and electronics (8%) and these must go through a process before it can be recycled in a safe and environmental way. The plastic goes to energy recovery at a district heating plant. No material goes to a landfill.

Digital Receipt Solution

No more paper! Stockholm, Sweden was the first “launch” customer for the new Cale Web Terminal (CWT) Color Touch platform which supported digital receipts.

Sweden now saves paper and maintenance costs by allowing their customers to receive all of their parking terminal receipts via SMS, email, or mobile payment app.

According to Mats Lindberg, Account Manager for Cale Sweden, “Not only does this save an extraordinary amount of paper, but customers most often use the WaytoPark mobile payment app, which offers different ways to pay if you are delayed or stuck in a meeting when your time expires.” Lindberg reports that the service cost is down due to no longer needing to clear paper jams, but rather, they now focus on local trouble-shooting and preventative maintenance.

Push Command

Using today’s latest technology, parking terminal errors can be reset by sending a ‘Terminal Reboot’ command through a Push Command feature. When an alert comes in that a machine needs service, techs now remain at their current location with their tablets, attempting to reboot the terminal remotely to bring it back online. According to Lindberg, “9 times out of 10, this is all the machine needs.”

“Energy savings for the Push Command feature are huge,” adds Lindberg, “Think about it. All that time stuck in traffic to even get to a terminal costs time for our techs, adding even more to traffic congestion and contributing to unnecessary Co2 emissions. These kind of service calls used to consume over 7 million tickets per year and now it’s ZERO.”

The Push Command feature comes as part of Cale’s new WebOffice Enterprise Smart Cities plan. “This was something that we had been needing for a while. A short-cut,” says Lindberg, “A plan that fits in with the sustainable goals we are trying to reach.”

Solar Charged Terminals

While solar-charged terminals aren’t the newest development in today’s parking industry, Stockholm points out just how beneficial the alternative energy source is in sustainability and savings. The obvious benefits remain; being a truly renewable resource harnessed all over the world while never running out.

Lindberg notes the additional value, “The main thing here is the lower cost and savings on installation. Before the solar meters, you would have to make it a big project; getting a crew, mapping out the construction, digging to get the power line to the meter and more. Now it’s a much simpler process. Just use the sun.”

In Stockholm, 83% of electricity production comes from alternative energy sources. “With the conversion to the solar-powered CWT touch meter, we were able to remove all the power line connections,” concludes Lindberg, “It’s a perfect fit to Sweden’s sustainability initiatives.”

Whether in Sweden or in the U.S., the power of ‘Going Green’ will always have a greater impact with joint effort.

Andreas Jansson notes, “You can see the efforts all over the Industry. Parkeon has partnered with BreezoMeter, an analytics company that will incorporate air quality sensors to Parkeon’s smart meters.”

These meters, otherwise known as, “Park & Breathe” smart meters, will use its sensors to give a powerful analysis of the air quality data in a city. The key aspect of this advancement is that it provides smart cities with the actionable information they need to make informed decisions to mitigate air pollution and increase the level of wellbeing for their citizens.

“Sustainability is one of the many reasons that Cale is joining with Parkeon,” concludes Jansson, “You look at what you can do better within your industry and the answer is simple, come together to create solutions for smart cities to stay ahead.”

Next month, after a decade of talking, planning and financing ,Uptown Butte, Montana will have a new parking garage open for business, featuring Cale America's 'CWT Touch' parking meter. The garage won’t stir the kind of buzz that Butte’s waterpark will when it opens later this year, and it won’t be as cool and colorful as a new carousel that’s been in the works twice as long. But to many in Butte, including lots of Uptown business owners, the 248-space parking garage at 60 W. Park St. between Park and Galena streets is a big deal.

“I was lobbying for this back in 2007,” said Butte businessman Ray Ueland, owner of the M&M Café and majority owner of Metals Sports Bar, both located Uptown. “It will bring people, and that’s what we need – people."

“Sometimes our (the city’s) marketing goes out to bring in people from outside of Butte,” he said. “We need people from the Flat to come on up, and parking is an issue.” Some of that is perception, some of it is real – especially during weekdays. But it goes way, way back.

“I grew up in Butte, and I avoided Uptown strictly because of the parking,” said Marco Kurilich, who bought the old Gold Rush Casino building at 20 W. Galena St. last year and opened a new place called Richest Hill Casino & Lounge. The parking garage is just across the street.

“I thought about purchasing this building in the past a few times, and when I heard about the parking garage, it was one of the things that helped clinch my decision to buy the building.” There have been setbacks and hurdles and controversies along the way, and there are those who still say a parking garage isn’t needed. But when it opens, which is expected sometime in mid-February, those will all be in the past. County officials and Uptown businesses are now looking forward.

“This has been a very exciting project to work on, and I believe it is a catalyst project for more good things in Uptown Butte,” said Karen Byrnes, Butte-Silver Bow’s community development director. “The garage will lend to an increase in economic activity and vitality.”

About the garage

The garage has four slanted levels with entrances off of Park and Galena streets, the latter one lower because of the sloping Uptown hill. The top level is outside, so cars there will still get rained and snowed on.

The building has tension cables running through it, and it actually flexes ever so slightly to absorb the weight of vehicles without damaging the surfaces.

“This thing should never crack,” Chuck Hazlett of Butte, Sletten’s superintendent on the project, said during a recent walk-through. “This is a 250-year parking garage. It should last that long.”

There is a stairwell enclosed in glass on the northeast corner and another stairwell on the southwest corner, and giant, concrete blocks will prevent them from being struck by vehicles.

The sides of the garage are open to the outside air, helping disperse vehicle fumes and allowing people to see in and out for better safety. The view to the south is spectacular, of course, since one can see most of the Summit Valley and the Highlands.

The lights in the garage will stay on at certain times and be on motion sensors during others. The stairwells and elevator will be lit at all times, and there will be outside lights on both Park and Galena streets.

There are features that make the building fit with Uptown Butte. For example, prismatic tiles that cover the Park Street entrance were inspired by the glass skylights in the old vaulted sidewalks Uptown.

Restrooms are located on the Park Street level east of the entrance, but they will only be open on certain days and times, such as festivals and the farmers market on Saturdays during the summer and early fall.

On the top level, there are two fairly large and flat areas where gatherings and small events can be held during warm weather.

When it opens

In hopes of getting folks to try it out, parking will be free for the first two months after the garage opens. Even after that, plans are to make spaces free from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.

Although a final decision is still pending, county officials will be choosing easy-to-operate kiosks made by a company called Cale America as their “parking meters” for the garage.

People will be able to pay with cash or credit and debit cards, and there are ways to make the transactions through smart phones. That could include buying more time from a seat in an Uptown restaurant or business.

It should be possible for businesses to purchase temporary blocks of spaces for special events or promotions, too, Byrnes said.

“I have heard from multiple Uptown business owners how excited they are for the garage and believe it will improve their business,” she said.

Ueland and Kurilich are banking on it.

For years now, Ueland said, there’s been a “perception that there is no parking (available) Monday through Friday.” The garage should help diminish that.

Kurilich, who hopes to add a restaurant soon to his Richest Hill Casino and Lounge, said he’s looking forward to the opening.

“To have parking right across the street is huge, especially in the evenings and weekends when parking is free,” he said. “When you’re in the casino and bar business, that’s really your prime time.”

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a first of its kind effort, the Parking Industry Institute (PII) raised $90,000 in disaster relief grant funding to aid parking professionals recovering from damage resulting from hurricanes Harvey in Texas and Irma in Florida. The Parking Industry Institute (PII) is the foundation of the National Parking Association (NPA).

NPA Board Chair Alan Lazowski, the CEO and Founder of LAZ Parking, led the fundraising effort at the 2017 NPA Annual Convention & Expo, held in October, in Palm Springs, CA. In total, members of the National Parking Association (NPA) raised $90,000 on behalf of PII to assist fellow parking professionals and their families. This outpouring of support demonstrates the caring and generosity of the parking industry.

PII, led by chair, Regina McLaurin of McLaurin Parking Company and the PII Trustees awarded 84.5% of the grant applicants with aid. Grants ranged from $1,000-10,000. All grantees are employees of NPA member organizations, including Florida International University, Next Level Valet, SP+, Towne Park, University of South Florida and Walter P Moore.

Parkeon and Cale had entered into exclusive negotiations in November 2017. With completion of Parkeon’s works council consultation process, the final step has been carried out so that the transaction can now be executed.

Cale and Parkeon solutions will continue to be offered in order to ensure a smooth and seamless combination process for customers. The new group’s name will be announced in the near future.

The new group plans to continue strong investments within digitalization in order to bring innovative solutions to its 5,000 municipalities customer base as well as to its 100 million daily users. As of September 30th, 2017, Parkeon and Cale posted revenues for the previous 12 months of $278m and $84m respectively.

Bertrand Barthélemy, CEO of Parkeon, and Anton Kaya, CEO of Cale, said: “We are thrilled that our planned Parkeon / Cale combination has been welcomed by all our stakeholders. We can’t wait to start the work and grow our new group to become the world leader in urban mobility technologies.”

Press contact:

Parkeon

Renaud Large, Havas Paris consultant director

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+33 (0)6 33 49 36 06

Cale America

Andreas Jansson, CEO

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-How does an organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters benefit from the support that businesses are able to provide?

“First, many people refer to my sector as "Non-profit organizations (NPO's)" I prefer to call them Social Change Organizations (SCO's). I don't like to explain the sector by what we don't do. I like to highlight what we do accomplish. For Example, Cale America's tagline is not, "We don't make sandwiches!" The tagline is, "Stay Ahead" and you are doing that in the Parking Industry sector.”

“This brings me to the answer to your question. All SCO's benefit from business support because it helps us to accomplish our mission. We serve the community and it's truly a community effort to make sure the community gets what it needs. This covers but is not limited to; people, housing, shelters, food, animals, etc. SCO's don't just request investment from one business, it's from several, making it a true team effort. Corporate foundations, family foundations, government funding and individual donors all make up the net of investment to support a community all via the work of Social Change Organizations.”

“I have had people push back on the concept of a social change organization. But that is what we do. At BBBS we support at-risk youth to find success in life through 1:1 professionally supported volunteer mentors. Success can take many forms; showing up to school, doing homework, understanding the importance of hard work, living ethically, graduating from high school, etc. Each time a BBBS mentee receives attention and advice from his/her mentor they are one step closer to achieving goals that many of us take for granted. When at risk youth find success, they also find confidence and pride. They find further education and jobs/careers. Mentorship breaks the cycle of poverty they are in. It breaks the cycle of teen pregnancy, high school dropouts and incarceration. These kids ultimately are able to give back to their community vs. be a burden.”

-Of course, dollars are always welcome, but what is the value of volunteer time? Is there a way to quantify the “value” of a Big?

“The value of a Big is priceless. Put a value on attending a kid’s basketball game, cheering them on and telling them "great job" after the game. Put a value on being there for a kid after his dad was incarcerated. Put a value on helping them study before a big test.”

“The kids we have the honor to work with do not have a consistent and present adult in their life. Many of the parents (or grandparents) are single and working two jobs. They are often struggling to make ends meet. They also have the humility to realize that they are not cutting it and to come to BBBS to get help for their kid.”

“Think back to when you were a kid. Then think of every single time a person helped you, advised you, put an arm around you on a tough day, said to you "You can do it!" and now put a price on that. Impossible.”

“But let's try. On the low end, it costs $1,500 to make a match and support it for a year. This entails, recruitment of the Bigs, background checks, references, training, more training, vetting of the kids, vetting the parents or guardians. Doing the match meeting. Checking up on the match on a monthly basis for child safety and mentoring effectiveness, hosting match activities, etc.”

“The cost of a high school drop out over their lifespan is estimated at $235,680 in welfare payments, food stamps, criminal justice and medical care. Multiply that across the full 6.7 million cohort of dropouts nationally and the hit is nearly incomprehensible: $1.6 trillion.*”

“There is another piece that is often overlooked regarding value. The Bigs that mentor at risk youth learn about the situations the kids are in. They understand poverty and adversity at a more personal level and that increases empathy and brings communities together. Instead of "us and "them," it's now "we".”

“Furthermore, I have heard Bigs share that they got so much more out of the mentor relationship than they expected. They too grew as people and learned from their mentee. Many of our matches end up friends for life and their respective families are intertwined forever. These are connections that, again, bring communities tighter together.”

-You lead BBBS in Portland, Cale America’s headquarters are in Clearwater. Your thoughts on the cross-country support? Do you interact with our local BBBS chapter at all?

“I will answer this is reverse order. Yes, I interact with Stephen (CEO of the Tampa BBBS chapter - great guy!) and many other BBBS affiliates to learn best practices. The ultimate goal is to stay connected and learn from one another so we can serve at risk kids to the very best of our ability.”

“Regarding cross-country support, we are in a global economy and that includes a global community. I remember growing up and hearing my parents talk about some kids who were skipping school and engaging in some nefarious activity. They would comment, "Oh those kids are no good!"

“But now, "those kids" are our kids. We are all connected, more than ever, to the success of our local and global community both economically and socially. Regarding Cale, the city of Portland invests in your product and system and gratefully, you invest in Portland and the others cities where Cale operates.”

“Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a choice. Companies do not have to engage in it or, if they do, they do so minimally. Cale has chosen to make deep, lasting and generational change in the cities you operate via the SCO's you support. This is a testament to your values and sense of connection to the communities in which you do business. You are a leader in this field and I commend you for it."

"Both Jeff and Ken and have been excellent ambassadors for Cale. I hope you are recognized for your efforts. Thank you for all you do."

For more information, contact Julianne Wilhelm, Marketing Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.CaleAmerica.com.

About Cale America:

Cale Group incorporates over 60 years of experience in the design and development of secure and innovative payment solutions for unattended parking and transit locations with cloud-based management applications. Headquartered in Kista, Sweden, the Cale Group has subsidiaries in ten countries and a network of partners in over 30 countries worldwide.Cale America Inc. was established in 2012 and is Cale’s largest subsidiary with systems installed in over 200 municipalities, campuses and privately-managed properties throughout the US, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.

This month’s spotlight is on David Colon, “DC” on Cale’s Production team! We sat down with him to get to know a bit more about DC inside and outside of Cale. Check it out!

What do you enjoy most about working here?

“I like that I can stay busy and the different events we have.”

Where were you working before Cale?

“I was working at a mailing company called Mail Marketing in Largo, Florida.”

Tell us a little about yourself.

“I was born in Philadelphia and raised there, played minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates and won 3 Championships. I actually grew up playing sports throughout my teen years and it has been amazing ever since.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I love playing Football.”

If given a chance, who would you like to hang out with for day, dead or alive?

“It would be a blessing to hang out with lead singer from Linkin Park, Chester Bennington.”

What is on your bucket list?

“To sky dive, Deep Sea Fishing, Scuba Diving, Parasailing and help all people that are homeless on getting back on their feet into bettering there lives in any way, shape or form.”

If you were to write a self-help book, what would the topic be?

“"Can't We All Just Get Along"

Least favorite Food?

“Oysters are my least favorite food.”

What phobias do you have?

“Arachnophobia is the only main phobia I have…and cannot stand spiders no matter how it looks like.

I also hate clowns… don't know if that's an actual phobia but clowns are not my thing ever since watching the original classic movie "IT.“

What goals did you have as a young teen?

“I just wanted be successful and have a beautiful happy family of my own.”

Clearwater, FL - A gift may not change the world, it can, however, make a positive difference. On Friday, December 15th at 2pm at a Target in Clearwater, Florida, numerous shoppers witnessed how one organization found a way to make some spirits bright.

The Ready for Life, Inc. (RFL) Mommy and Me Support Group received some holiday cheer from Cale America to help several young mothers provide opportunities to create a sense of belonging and family tradition in their own homes, providing the the kind of Christmas they wish they would have had in their own turbulent childhoods.

17 young parents had the chance to shop with 40 Cale America Staff for Christmas gifts that they will get to give from Mommy to their children.

"This is a dream come true," said one mom when she learned of the opportunity. “Christmas always brought a bitter-sweet, heart-sick feeling for me growing up because I never got that loving family moment where everyone unwraps their gift with awe and laughter. To be able to share that family feeling on Christmas with my own kids makes me forget about every bad Christmas I ever had.”

Kathy Mize, Ready for Life CEO, adds, ”The Holidays can be a very difficult time for the young adults who have transitioned out of foster care. The turbulence many face growing up in the system often leaves them without a sense of belonging, and their many disappointments often convince them that this special time of year will be no different than all the tough days they've been through. That's where our RFL community comes in, especially CALE who help in so many ways. Anything you'd do for your own kids is what we are up to on any given day of the week, and we couldn't do this work without their amazing support."

"We are humbled and thrilled to have partners like CALE,” said Michelle Walag, Ready for Life Director of Operations, ”...who take the time to understand what our youth face, and realize how important it is to help the RFL young adults to provide to their little ones the kinds of Christmas they wish they had growing up. Creating a sense of belonging is so important in breaking the generational cycles of abuse and neglect.”

Not only did Cale America staff settle with the cashiers upon check out, but they made sure the mothers walked away with something for themselves. With both arm full with bags of new christmas toys, each mother was suprised with a $50 Spa Gift Certificate to help them relax from the holidays and stress of motherhood.

For more information, contact Julianne Wilhelm, Marketing Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit CaleAmerica.com.

About Cale America:

Cale Group incorporates over 60 years of experience in the design and development of secure and innovative payment solutions for unattended parking and transit locations with cloud-based management applications. Headquartered in Kista, Sweden, the Cale Group has subsidiaries in ten countries and a network of partners in over 30 countries worldwide.Cale America Inc. was established in 2012 and is Cale’s largest subsidiary with systems installed in over 200 municipalities, campuses and privately-managed properties throughout the US, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.

About Ready for Life

Ready for Life, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping former foster care youth to make a successful transition to independence. Annually, RFL touches the lives of 425 young adults age 15-25 in Pinellas County, plus 98 of their children age 0-12. The tough truth is that youth enter the dependency system through no fault of their own, yet the trauma's and challenges they face become theirs to deal with, especially after age 18. RFL lines up beside these resilient young people to help them fill in life skill and learning gaps that could stop them. With the help of an extraordinary community of mentors, volunteers and supporters, the youth served by RFL are breaking through the statistics of this vulnerable population with dropping recidivism rates, increased college attendance, and successfully parenting their own children. To learn more please visit www.readyforlifepinellas.org.

Technically, the color is “Salmon,” but with the most eye-catching meter color created for Florida yet, Madeira Beach’s 29 new pay stations cannot be missed.

Madeira Beach, a coastal beach town off of Tampa Bay, is known for it’s “Old Florida” charm intertwined with modern attractions, making it a no-brainer for vacationers around the world. The city prides itself on listening to it’s residents and guests, making enhancements to make it a better place to work and play.

That’s why, in December of this year, a vibrant update was made to the city’s public parking pay stations. 29 new salmon colored CALE CWT Meters boast a new color and an updated system for visitors and residents.

“It was time to move towards more modernization where people could use an app to pay for parking. That’s more of the ‘norm’ now,” says Chris Tarkenton, Parking Department Supervisor for the City of Madeira Beach. “It’s also more convenient for visitors who might be caught up at a restaurant. They don’t have to worry about running back to their car to add more time.

The 29 new parking meters are a vast upgrade from the ones residents are used to. The Cale Web Terminal Compact (CWT) lights up with a Color Display screen and is enhanced with ‘Pay by Plate’ technology. Visitors can simply enter their license plate number, parking duration, payment and be on their way.

“Switching from ‘Pay-and-Display’ to ‘Pay-by-Plate’ made tracking incredibly easy for us,” says Tarkenton, “It also makes it easier for residents who have a different parking permit. Residents have a back-up for their usual permit sticker…it’s all loaded into our system. It’s peace of mind on both ends.”

The most exciting addition to the meters is the new compatibility with ‘WayToPark,’ a mobile payment app that allows guests to add time to their parking spot straight from their phone. According to Tarkenton, this is a feature that visitors are used to seeing and expect to have available to them.

As for the color chosen for the meters? It was unanimous. Out of 5 color options, the Madeira Beach City Commission voted for the hue that would boast “Beach Life” the best, Salmon.

“They are much more noticeable for out-of-town visitors,” says Tarkenton, “It fits with the beach community lifestyle here. It was a great choice all around.”

For more information, contact Julianne Wilhelm, Marketing Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit CaleAmerica.com.

As part of last week’s Great American Teach In (Thursday, 11/16), Tom Szubka, Director of Operations for Cale America, took time on Monday to spend more than an hour with 4th grade students at Summerfield Elementary, part of Florida’s Hillsborough County School system. The students had the opportunity to learn about work experience, what it takes to run a business, the parking industry and the law of supply and demand, as well as what it takes to be a leader.

“The children were excited to hear Mr. Szubka talk about how they could possibly one day become a business leader,” said Heather Towers, 4th grade teacher at Summerfield Elementary, “They were interested in how supply and demand exists in the real world by participating in the fun hands-on example.”

Tom created an activity for the kids, using the parking industry to explain how supply and demand works and how supply and demand help define the parking industry as well as what Cale provides for the parking industry. Equipped with cars, paper parking lots, and money, the students had fun learning how limited supply is managed for demand.

“I think the kids mostly took away from the presentation the importance of being a leader starting right now,” said Towers, “My class has been impacted by the presentation by seeing that if they believe in themselves and make smart choices, they too can achieve success in life.”

Students of Ms. Towers’ 4th grade class wrote letters to Tom. Each hand-drawn note thanked him for teaching them real-life skills, most notably, how to say “Thank You” in Swedish… “Tack!”